Watching Scotty crow

Can Haley Reinhart, left, and Lauren Alaina
derail the Scotty Express? Tune in tonight.

When we last weighed in on Season 10 of American Idol the Sanctuary's Rapid Rankings looked like this:
1. Scotty McCreery
2. James Durbin
3. Haley Reinhart
4. Lauren Alaina
5. Casey Abrams
6. Jacob Lusk

We weren't surprised to see Casey Abrams and Jacob Lusk eliminated in successive weeks, but last week provided a true shocker when rocker James Durbin, the prohibitive favorite who said he only wanted to "give metal a chance," couldn't muster enough votes to hang around. That means the Final 3 includes two girls, both of whom have been impressive in recent weeks. (If this were a sporting competition analysts would be saying Haley Reinhart and Lauren Alaina are "peaking at the right time.")

But getting past Scotty McCreery won't be easy for the upstart girls. Even though two of the most talented and successful Idol winners have been females (Kelly Clarkson in Season 1 and Carrie Underwood in Season 4), there have only been three in all.  We're not even sure what became of the other one, Jordin Sparks, who won Season 6.

Do we really care?  No. To reference lyrics from a favorite song by the Vidalias, "we're just an innocent bystander Lord, waiting to take the next train out of town."  But it sure was fun using the Blogger strikethrough function and some color type.

If you do happen to follow Idol, we recommend checking out the coverage by Washington Post TV columnist Lisa de Moraes, whose online posts are more entertaining than the show itself.  See for yourself by clicking here.

Horns o' plenty

On Chicago Magazine's list of the 40 greatest records by Chicago-based artists you will find releases by Kanye West, Liz Phair, R. Kelly, Andrew Bird and Lupe Fiasco. You will not find anything by Steve Goodman or Buddy Guy.  Seriously, who compiles these lists?

We were wondering how Chicago (the group) stacked up because it happens to be the anniversary of their debut album's release. Yep, Chicago Transit Authority hit the stores on this day in 1969. We remember CTA as a defining moment in music history when horns met fuzz guitar, jazz met rock and the fusion was pretty spectacular.

But Chicago, the city, has a very rich and diverse musical heritage and limiting a list to 40 artists is at best problematic, and at worst, well, just plain impossible.  But that's what happens when a magazine is celebrating its 40th anniversary.  So here's hoping Chicago Magazine makes it to 50 and its list improves!

We wouldn't have relished this task.To make room for the likes of Paul Butterfield, Curtis Mayfield, Ramsey Lewis and Muddy Waters some worthy people were going to get left off.  But not Naked Raygun, Screeching Weasel, Tortoise -- all of which cracked the Top 40 at the expense of Goodman, one of the greatest songwriters from any city or country in the world.

Meanwhile, CTA -- which isn't even our favorite Chicago album -- rates no better than No. 17, just below offerings by Big Black, Earth Wind & Fire and Cheap Trick. As for No. 1, that was bestowed upon Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, a fine album but the best of the best ever from Chicago?  What in Willie Dixon's Chess Box is going on here? Check out the list here.

A song that never pales



More than 10 million copies
of "A Whiter Shade of Pale"
have been sold, making it one of
the most popular singles ever.

 By Al Tays

Is there a more mysterious song than Procol Harum's "A Whiter Shade of Pale"? Methinks not. Nor a more haunting melody than Matthew Fisher's Hammond organ riff, which was inspired by J.S. Bach's "Air." (This is the kind of thing that might actually make me give classical music another chance.)

We bring this up because on this date in 1977, the Harum played what was thought to be its last concert date, at New York's Academy of Music. It turned out to be a false alarm, as a reconstituted PH began touring in 1991 and is still skipping the light fandango today.

Procol Harum is often thought of -- incorrectly -- as a one-hit wonder. The band had a second hit in "Conquistador." It was part of PH's first album, released in 1967, but was redone with the Edmonton Symphony Orchesta in 1972. That version got to No. 16 in the U.S.

Still, "A Whiter Shade of Pale" is the band's defining song. released on May 12, 1967, it reached No. 5 on the U.S. singles chart. Ten years later, it was honored, along with Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody," by the inaugural BRIT Awards as Best British Pop Single 1952–1977. "Best British Pop Single" during an era that included the British Invasion? Think of all the contenders these two songs beat out. Amazing.

But back to mystery. The name Procol Harum supposedly came from a cat owned by a friend of the band's original manager. The phrase has a Latin connection, too, but it's WAY too complicated to go into here. Vestal Virgins? Hey, that's what Google is for.

I don't need to look this up, though. "A Whiter Shade of Pale" is one of my favorite songs. I even like Annie Lenox's cover. So you'll have to excuse me now -- I have to get out my Casio keyboard and start learning that melody. Here's to you, Johan.

We're bullish on the Sheepdogs

Note:  This is going to sound like "the dog ate my homework" but ... Blogger was down for two days and we lost all of our new material, including this rave-up on the Sheepdogs.  It might be too late to cast a vote in the Rolling Stone cover competition, but it's never too late to learn about a great band. Check these guys out.

We can't say we're all-out rooting for the Sheepdogs to make the cover of Rolling Stone.  That kind of manufactured notoriety reminds us of American Idol finalists who are often very talented but cursed to wander the world with the creepy stigma of Reality Show Creationism.

On the other hand ... just in case this exposure gets the band out of Canada and into some American venues where we can see them perform, we're casting our vote right now. You might want to cast yours, too, after hearing what these furry guitar slingers from Saskatchewan bring to the stage. 

It's Round 3 of Rolling Stone's "Do You Wanna Be a Rock & Roll Star." The field has been narrowed to four bands: the Sheepdogs, the Empires of Chicago, Lelia Broussard of Los Angeles and Fictionist of Provo, Utah. The final two will battle it out at Bonnaroo for a chance to grace the magazine's cover.  Fame and fortune is almost certain to follow.

We've got a soft spot for the Sheepdogs, whose jamming guitars, thumping base line and tight harmonies remind us of the best days (and nights) of the Seventies.  The band's list of influences includes the Allman Brothers, Humble Pie and Free, and it sounds like they put those  in the blender, added a dash of Blind Faith, and hit the "pulse" button. To learn more about the band click on http://www.thesheepdogs.com/ or go to http://www.myspace.com/thesheepdogs.

We had been wondering for some time what became of the great rock-a-boogie sound of that era, and turns out it's been percolating north of the border for some time. The Sheepdogs released their third album Learn & Burn in 2010 and appear, with all of this heightened exposure, primed for a leap into the mainstream. If they can just make it to Bonnaroo the world will surely learn.

Farewell to a Walker brother

His name wasn't Walker (it was John Maus). He didn't perform with brothers (it was Maus, Scott Engel and Gary Leeds). And the group went totally against the grain by finding success as Americans playing in the U.K. during the British Invasion.

None of this detracts from our admiration of the Walker Brothers, in particular the amazing voice of John Walker (aka Maus).  "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine (Anymore)" -- with its rich vocals and Spector-like sound -- easily ranks as one of the great songs of the era even if it ranked no higher than No. 13 on the Billboard's Hot 100 in 1966. It did top the chart in the U.K. where the lads enjoyed Beatlesesque popularity during their brief run.

We were sorry to hear of John Walker's passing over the weekend at age 67. We searched for a fitting video tribute and pretty much tapped out. The Walker Brothers' exceptional sound really did come from the studio and couldn't be replicated in live performances. See for yourself by clicking on this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eAxCVTMJ-I

A symphony for Sonny



Yep, that's S. Curtis in parentheses
under "I Fought the Law."

 We don't believe Sonny Curtis has received enough credit for his contributions to rock 'n' roll. Following Buddy Holly in the Crickets was a suicide mission, you know? Can't blame him for that. And speaking of suicides, you all remember Bobby Fuller?

It was Sonny Curtis' song "I Fought the Law" that catapulted the Bobby Fuller Four to stardom. The 1965 hit made it to No. 9 on the Billboard chart (No.33 in the UK), and ranks No. 175 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Shortly after the song cracked the Top 10 Fuller was found dead in his mother's car in an L.A. parking lot. It was ruled suicide, but many suspect lazy police work.  They believe Fuller was murdered.

Now back to Curtis, a member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame since 1991. He also wrote "Love is All Around," the theme to the Mary Tyler Moore Show, the Everly Brothers hit "Walk Right Back," and dozens of others. But tell us honestly, did you ever hear of Curtis before now? We didn't think so. Be sure to toast him today, along with other members of the May 9 Birthday Band:

Hank Snow (1914-1999): Country Music Hall of Fame
I’m Moving On, Rhumba Boogie, I’ve Been Everywhere

Nokie Edwards (1935): Guitar, Ventures
Walk Don’t Run, Perfidia, Hawaii Five-O Theme

Sonny Curtis (1937): Songwriter/musician, the Crickets
More Than I Can Say, I Fought the Law

Pete Birrell (1941): Bass, Freddie & the Dreamers
I’m Telling You Now, You Were Made for Me, Do the Freddie

Tommy Roe (1942): Singer/songwriter
Sheila, Sweet Pea, Hooray for Hazel, Dizzy, Jam Up Jelly Tight

Richie Furay (1944): Musician, Poco, Buffalo Springfield
Pickin' Up the Pieces, Good Feelin' To Know, Kind Woman

Steve Katz (1945): Producer/musician, Blood, Sweat & Tears
And When I Die, You Make Me So Very Happy, Spinning Wheel

Billy Joel (1949): Singer, songwriter
Just the Way You Are, It’s Still Rock ’n’ Roll to Me, Uptown Girl, Piano Man

Tom Petersson (1950): Bass/vocals, Cheap Trick
I Want You to Want Me, Ain’t That a Shame, Dream Police, Voices

Bye-bye for a balladeer

By Al Tays

Our trusty "This Day in Music History" calendar tells us that on May 8, 1967, Gerry and the Pacemakers announced that they were splitting up, "recognising they could no longer keep pace with the rapidly changing UK rock scene."

Well, they were right, of course. The latter half of the Sixties was no place for a poppy, peppy outfit like GaTP. Popular music was headed straight for psychedelia, and the only way to survive and thrive was to adapt. The Beatles did, but their fellow Liverpudlians didn't.

In a way it was a shame, because Gerry Marsden had a great voice. Hmm, let me amend that: He had a great voice for ballads. He didn't have the soul of an Eric Burdon or the rawness of a Mick Jagger, but give him a standard like "You'll Never Walk Alone" (or let him sing his own compositions, like "Ferry Cross the Mersey" or "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying" and he could hold his own with anyone. The latter two tunes still stand up quite well today.

Gerry and the Pacemakers are still performing, but Marsden, 68, is the only original member in the modern lineup.

Gerry and the Pacemakers are the answer to a great trivia question: What Liverpool band was the first act to reach No. 1 in the UK singles chart with their first three single releases? You'd think it would have been the Beatles, but it wasn't.

The funny thing about those No. 1 songs is that they aren't the ones GaTP are best remembered for, at least in the U.S. They're "How Do You Do It," "I Like It" and "You'll Never Walk Alone."

Their two biggest U.S. hits, "Ferry Cross the Mersey" and "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying" got as high as No. 6 and No. 4, respectively.